Fourteen people arrested after RCMP break down anti-pipeline checkpoint

The RCMP have breached a gate that a northern B.C. First Nation had erected to block access to a natural-gas pipeline project.

Officers broke through a blockade on Morice River Forest Service Road, southwest of Houston, on Monday afternoon to enforce a B.C. Supreme Court injunction order, arresting 14 people, said RCMP.

A post on the Wet’suwet’en Access Point Facebook page claimed police broke through the checkpoint gate with “brutal force.” It said protesters were expected to be taken to provincial court in Prince George.

The 14 people were arrested for various offences including alleged violations of the injunction order, said police.Unist'ot'en Camp Facebook Page

The checkpoint was one of two manned by members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.

The first, which has been in place for almost a decade, was set up by the Unist’ot’en, a house group of the Gilseyhu clan. It includes a camp and gate that obstructs the Morice West forest service road and the Morice River Bridge.

The second checkpoint was put in place three weeks ago by the Gidimt’en clan, and blocked the Morice River forest service road. This is the one that was taken down Monday.

A sign for a blockade check point by the Gidimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gidumt'en Territory /
The Canadian Press

The checkpoints are meant to keep workers away from the construction site for TransCanada PipeLines Ltd.’s $4.7-billion, 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline, which will deliver natural gas from Dawson Creek to a planned LNG Canada facility near Kitimat.

Rallies are planned in 30 cities Tuesday — including Vancouver, Victoria, Chilliwack, Lillooet, Nelson, Cortes Island and Prince George — in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en.

Members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, which is made up of five clans that have 13 houses, have long protested construction of pipelines through the nation’s 22,000 square kilometres of claimed traditional territory. They say such projects will jeopardize the area’s natural resources and restrict access to their territory.

An injunction issued last month by a B.C. Supreme Court justice, and revised last week, prohibits anyone from physically interfering with or impeding any person or vehicle trying to access the area or carrying on pipeline business, including pre-construction and construction activities. They’re also prohibited from threatening, intimidating or getting within 10 metres of anyone actively working on the project.

RCMP’s E Division said officers spoke with representatives from the camp about removing the obstruction set up along the service road. It also facilitated a meeting between hereditary chiefs and representatives from Coastal GasLink. When the discussions failed, RCMP moved in at around 3 p.m.

The 14 people were arrested for various offences including alleged violations of the injunction order, said police.

During the arrests, officers saw a number of fires being lit, as well as large, felled trees, along the road. Temporary exclusion zones and road closures were established in the area and remains in place.

Earlier on Monday, RCMP had announced it planned to enforce the injunction order. Police had arrived in the area over the weekend, gathering in Houston and Smithers, the two municipalities closest to the checkpoints. On Monday, the officers convened in Houston before heading to the Gidimt’en checkpoint.

In a video posted online earlier in the day Molly Wickham, spokeswoman for the Cas Yex house, which is part of the Gidimt’en clan, said, “We’re doing everything that we can to make sure that we’re going to be safe.” Wickham was one of the nine people arrested.

Terry Cunha, a spokesman for TransCanada, said the enforcement of the order was “taken as a last resort and a necessary action after years of attempting to engage the camp” to find a solution.

“It is unfortunate that the RCMP must take this step so that lawful access for this public bridge and road can be re-established,” he said.

Coastal GasLink said it has signed agreements with 20 elected First Nations along the pipeline route, including the Wet’suwet’en. The company has engaged with all First Nations groups along the project, both hereditary and elected, and also has some hereditary support, said Cunha.

In a statement, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth said any enforcement action taken by the RCMP is an operational matter and at arm’s length from the provincial government.

“We recognize the right for people to engage in peaceful protest. In any situation such as this, we hope all parties find a safe and mutually respectful resolution,” he said.

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